A Matter of Grave Concern
by Frontline
Summary: When Astrid and Snotlout disturb the tomb of a dishonoured Viking, they find themselves being hunted by a Draugr. The first of my two Halloween stories.


Astrid sat astride Stormfly as they swept over Dragon's Edge, her blond hair and blue eyes in contrast to the metal pauldrons that she wore, as well as the double-headed axe mounted behind her saddle.

 _It's funny._ She thought. _Only a couple of years ago, we were at war with the dragons. Now, I don't know what we'd do without them..._

She patted Stormfly's neck, her friend giving a low rumble of contentment. A pearlescent blue Deadly Nadder with spines crowning her head and a curved horn on her nose, she was Astrid's closest friend. Then, she heard a flap of wings and looked round to see Hookfang climbing towards her. A red-scaled Monstrous Nightmare, noted for their habit of setting themselves on fire when angered, the temperamental dragon was a perfect match for the heavyset Viking who was riding him.

'D'you notice how Hiccup keeps putting us on patrol together?' He asked, with his cocky grin. 'It must be fate, right...'

'Ugh. Get real, Snotlout.' Astrid said, rolling her eyes. 'He puts us together so that I can keep you from doing something stupid, like you usually do.'

'Whatever you think, babe. Hookfang and me, we're the ultimate team...Hey!' He yelled, grabbing onto Hookfang's horns as he surged forward, nearly pitching him out of the saddle.

'Stupid lizard...' He muttered, under his breath and Astrid grinned.

'Thanks for making my point. Come on, we'll do one more circuit and head in. There's nothing of interest out here...'

'Oh, yeah?' Snotlout said, pointing downwards. 'What's that?'

Astrid looked where he was pointing, spotting a large boulder on the hillside with a pile of rocks stacked next to it.

'Not sure. C'mon, let's go and take a look.'

They swept down towards the ledge, settling down next to the cave and they dismounted, looking around warily.

'Stay here, Stormfly.' Astrid said, pulling out her battle axe. 'Snotlout, keep watch...'

Ignoring his scowl, she knelt down next to pile of rocks and scraped aside the moss, revealing the faint marks that had been carved onto the stone.

'There's a name written here.' She said. 'Wulf Vagnarsson. I think...this is a tomb.'

'Excellent.' Snotlout said, pushing past her and putting his shoulder against the stone slab.

'...what are you doing?' Astrid asked, as he started pushing.

'I'm trying to...move this stone. What do you think I'm doing?'

'Are you sure that's such a good...?' Astrid began, just as the stone rolled aside with a faint rumble, revealing a darker chamber beyond.

'Now we're getting somewhere.' Snotlout said with a grin, grabbing a torch from behind his saddle. Thumping Hookfang on the snout, he lit the torch from the flames that flickered across his scales and stepped inside.

 _This is a bad idea..._ Astrid thought, following behind him with her hand tightly gripping the handle of her axe. Inside was a small chamber, entirely unremarkable apart from the heavy stone slab that had been laid on the floor. Even by the flickering torchlight, Astrid could just make out the letters that had been hurriedly scratched onto it.

 _Wulf Vagnarsson_

'This is it?' Snotlout moaned, idly kicking a stone which bounced off the wall with a rattling sound that disturbed the silence for a few seconds. 'Why bury someone like this if there's nothing worth taking?'

He stomped out, leaving Astrid standing there, staring down at the grave.

 _Good question..._ She thought, before following him back outside. All was quiet for a few seconds until, with a scraping sound, the stone slab began to move...

Hiccup was sitting in the Dragon's Edge Clubhouse, leafing through the Book of Dragons while Toothless slumbered in the corner. His full name was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, following the Viking tradition of giving children a fearsome name to frighten off evil spirits. However, he was not the traditional image of a Viking warrior, being short, scrawny and wiry so that the helmet nearly fell over his eyes, which was why it stayed on the shelf in his room. And he was missing the lower half of his right leg, which had been replaced by a metal prosthetic that he had made himself. In the corner, Toothless was slumbering with his tail wrapped around him. Toothless was a Night Fury, a rare breed of Dragon that Hiccup had shot down in an attempt to prove himself to his Father, Stoick the Vast. It was unthinkable that the son of the Chief of Berk hadn't killed even one Dragon. However, when it came to it, he could not bring himself to do it. Instead, he had spared Toothless' life and built him a prosthetic tail to repair the damage that he had done. Now, the two of them were inseparable and he was in trying to live up to his Father's reputation. It had taken a lot to convince him to let them set up base on the island and he wasn't about to betray his trust. At times, it was daunting, but at least he had his friends with him. Sitting at the other end of the table sat Fishlegs, quietly pouring over his books with a look of contentment on his face. Stocky with thick legs, he was good natured and cheerful. As he turned the page of the book, he reached down to pass a rock to Meatlug, his heavily-built Gronkle, who devoured it in one gulp. Across the room, Ruffnut and Toughnut were wrestling. Identical twins, they were brash, wiry and loud with blond hair and a carefree attitude to pretty much everything. However, they were the perfect partners for their two-headed Zippleback, Barf and Belch. He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard the sweep of wings, looking up to see Hookfang and Stormfly alight outside the clubhouse.

'How'd it go?' Hiccup asked, closing the Book of Dragons and unfolding his map as Astrid and Snotlout dismounted. 'Anything to report?'

'Nothing much.' Astrid said, pulling up a chair while Snotlout leant against the table. 'We've nearly finished mapping the eastern side of the island, from the cove to the mountains. It all seems fairly quiet. But we found a Viking tomb here.' She pointed to the map and Hiccup drew marked the location with a cross, as Ruffnut looked up from where he had his sister in a headlock.

'Ooh. A tomb! Were there bones in there?'

'No.' Astrid said, folding her arms across her chest. 'There was a name written on a grave marker by the entrance. Wulf Vagnarsson. Mean anything to you?' She asked and Hiccup shook his head.

'No, but we already know that other Vikings have been to this island. Fishlegs, do you think you could find out who this Wulf Vagnarsson was?'

'Maybe. I brought all my books with me, but, well, Vikings aren't always great a keeping records. I'd love to find out who he was.'

'That's easy.' Snotlout said. 'I'll bet it belongs to a great warrior who died in battle defending this island.' Snotlout said and Astrid rolled her eyes as Hiccup stood up.

'Well, that's a job for the morning. Alright, gang, time to turn in...'

 _Astrid backed away as the creature came out of the shadows, it's flesh greying and decayed, the smell almost making her sick. As it shambled towards her, she raised her axe and swung in a blow that would have taken it's head off. However, the blade simply glanced off and the monster continued stumbling forward, raising it's hands towards her._

 _'Snotlout!' She yelled, glancing over her shoulder. 'Help me...'_

 _However, Snotlout did not move, his club falling from his fingers and his eyes wide with fear. She stumbled backwards, her axe clattering to the floor as it extending it's hand towards her chest and..._

...she woke with a strangled scream, sitting bolt upright in bed. Stormfly looked up from where she had been sleeping, giving a soft, concerned trill.

'I'm alright, girl.' Astrid said, slipping out of bed and curling up next to Stormfly, wrapping her blanket around her. 'It was just a nightmare...'

Snotlout eased open the door from his hut, his club gripped tightly in one hand and peered around for a few seconds before stepping outside. He advanced with the same caution, watching the shadows until he heard footsteps behind him. With a wordless yell, he turned with his club raised, ready to strike.

'You'll not take me, you undead...oh. Hey, Astrid.'

'What are you doing?' Astrid asked, folding her arms across her chest.

'Oh...uh, y'know. Just practicing. Got to be ready for anyone trying to sneak up on ya.' He said, lowering his club and Astrid frowned.

'Are you feeling okay?.'

'Me? I'm fine.' Snotlout said. 'Why?'

'Uh-huh. You seem a little twitchy. Did you...have any nightmares last night?' She asked and Snotlout seemed to flinch.

'...nightmares? Me? I don't have nightmares.' He declared.

'Well, I did.' Astrid said, wrapping her arms around herself, despite the warmth of the morning sun. 'I...we were back in the cave and there was this...it touched my chest and...never mind, it was just a stupid dream.' With that, she turned away, leaving Snotlout standing there. Snotlout watched her walk away before turning to Hookfang who had come ambling over.

'Okay, so what if she had the same dream that I did? It doesn't mean anything. We were both a little spooked by that tomb, that's all. Come on, Hookfang, there's only one way to sort this out...' He said, swinging himself into the saddle and urging Hookfang skywards...

Astrid hovered outside Fishlegs' hut, watching him flick through the books on his table with a look of quiet concentration on his face. While Vikings were not naturally intellectual, Fishlegs was the exception that proved the rule.

 _If anyone'll have answers, it's him..._

'Fishlegs?' She asked, licking her lips and he looked up.

'Oh, hey, Astrid. Sorry, I didn't see you there. I was just doing some research in the Book of Dragons. We still haven't even scratched the surface of what's out there. Anyway, is there something you need?'

'...do you have any books on...demons or ghosts? Anything like that?'

'I've got a couple here somewhere.' Fishlegs said, rummaging in a chest and producing a few leather bound books and handing them to her. 'Is there anything I can help with?'

'...no. That's alright. Thanks...'

'Well, I did some research into Wulf Vagnarrson. There have been three Wulf Vagnarrsons in the history of Berk. One of them was Chief around a century ago and the second was a great trader and explorer who travelled far to the East and never returned.'

'And, who was the third?'

'He...was executed after a failed attempt to otherthrow his Chief. As a traitor, he was denied a Viking funeral. Instead, his body was interred here and a warning left to others not to disturb his tomb.'

'...why?'

'According to legend, if a Viking's tomb is disturbed, then his body will rise from the grave seeking vengeance. That's probably one reason why we burn our dead, to ensure their peaceful rest in the next world. Anyway, it's just an old superstition...'

'...yeah. Thanks, Fishlegs...'

Snotlout crept down the stone passageway, the torch in his hand casting flickering shadows on the wall, Hookfang following behind him.

'This is crazy.' He muttered to himself, as he approached the boulder that he had moved yesterday. 'I must be going nuts. It was just a stupid dream and I'm gonna prove it...'

Then, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that greeted him, his blood going cold.

'Oh, Thor...'

 _The Draugr is the vengeful spirit of a dead Viking who's reanimated body will rise from the grave to seek out those that have disturbed his rest. The first warning of a Draugr's presence is that those who entered the tomb will be plagued by nightmares. These will continue every night until the victims are either driven mad or die in their sleep._

 _The only way to stop the Draugr is beheading. Be warned, Draugr's possess incredible physical strength and cannot be hurt by steel, except at the back of the neck. Fire will destroy the body, but the spirit will endure..._

'Astrid!' Astrid!'

Astrid looked up from the scroll to see Snotlout dismounting Hookfang and racing over to her.

'I was lying, okay? I did have a nightmare last night. And, I went back to the tomb and the grave was empty.' He yelled, practically falling to his knees in front of her. 'Something dug it's way out and...'

'I know.' Astrid said.

'What? How do you know?'

Wordlessly, Astrid handed him the scroll and he took it, his eyes widening as he read it.

'Oh, that's great. We're being hunted by an undead monster that we can't kill and it'll either drive us nuts or we'll die of fright...'

'Not if we get it, first.' Astrid said, picking up her battle axe.

'Whoa. You know what the scroll said. Weapons can't hurt it...'

'Except at the back of the neck. Come on.'

'Wait. Where are you going?'

'Back to the tomb. It'll be sure to find us there.'

'This is crazy. Let's get Hiccup. He and Toothless can Plasma Blast it to bits and...'

'That'll only destroy the body. Besides, I'm not putting them at risk. If I...if this fails, I won't have it going after them, too.

She started towards the door, swinging round when Stormfly began following her.

'You need to stay here, girl. This is my fight...'

Stormfly gave a clucking chirrup and stepped past her and out of the hut, spreading her wings to block her path and Astrid smiled.

'Okay, girl.' Astrid said, swinging herself into the saddle and looking back towards Snotlout. 'You coming?'

'Go and fight that thing? Just the two of us? Astrid...'

'Fine. If you're scared, I'll do it alone...'

With that, she urged Stormfly forward and she took off, heading towards the cliffs.

'Dammit.' Snotlout muttered. 'C'mon, Hookfang...'

Stormfly touched down outside the Howe and Astrid slipped off her back, looking around.

She could feel the cold sensation in her heart and that meant only one thing.

'It's here, Stormfly.' Astrid said, drawing her battle axe. 'Get ready.'

Getting a firm grip on her axe, she raised her voice, yelling into the darkness.

'Wulf Vagnarrson. My name is Astrid Hofferson. I disturbed your rest. If you want me, here I am...'

There was silence for a second and then, with a hiss, the Draugr emerged from the Howe, fixing it's baleful glare on her.

 _Okay. This is it..._

'Stormfly, Spine Shot.' She yelled and Stormfly flicked her tail to send a hail of spines towards the Draugr. However, each of them bounced off as if they had struck armour. With a snarl, Stormfly opened her mouth to unleash a jet of flame towards the Draugr.

'No, Stormfly.' She said, getting a grip on her battleaxe.

 _I guess we need to do this the hard way..._

She charged forward, swinging her battle axe down in a heavy, overhand blow that the Draugr smashed aside with one arm, it's hands reaching for her. Astrid dodged back, knocking it's arm away and reversing the blow to strike at it's neck. Faster than she could follow, it's hand snapped round her wrist and lifted her off the ground, her axe clattering away. It gave another hiss, it's other head reaching towards her chest and Astrid's eyes widened.

 _Oh, Thor...not like this..._

'Snotlout. Snotlout. Oy. Oy. Oy.'

Something slammed into the Draugr, knocking it sideways and making it lose it's grip on her wrist. Instinctively, she curled into a ball with her arms wrapped around her head as she struck the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her. Shaking her head, she struggled to look up to see Snotlout wrestling with the Draugr. As she watched, he twisted it's arms behind it's back and forced it down to the floor.

'You gonna lie there all day?' He yelled. 'I can't hold this forever...'

Astrid rolled forward and came up with her axe in her hand, swinging it down towards the Draugr's exposed neck. Their was a silken sound, followed by a sickening thump and the Draugr fell limp.

'Is...is it over?' Snotlout asked, stepping back as Astrid recovered her axe.

'Not yet.' She said, grabbing one arm. 'Come on, give me a hand.'

Together, they dragged the corpse inside the Howe and Snotlout heaved the stone back over the entrance.

'Do you...think he's at peace?' Snotlout asked, taking off his helmet and Astrid looked out over the ocean.

'I hope so. Come on, let's go home...'


End file.
